Free School Meals
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to ensure that schools' core budgets in more deprived communities are not disproportionately used to meet the costs of providing free school meals.
Answered by Olivia Bailey
This department spends over £1.5 billion annually supporting the provision of free and nutritious meals to around 3.4 million children. We have also set aside over £1 billion over the multi-year spending review period to back our significant expansion of free meals support to all households on Universal Credit, taking effect from September 2026 and benefitting over half a million children.
As with all policies, we continue to keep free meals policy, including funding, under review to ensure that nutritious meals continue to be deliverable. Departmental officials meet regularly with the sector, including the school catering industry, and use these insights to inform our work.
Verbatim has judged this answer against the question that was actually asked — answered, partly answered, or evaded. Sign in to see the verdict →